Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Effortless BBQ Chicken & Wild Rice

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EffortlessMeals #CollectiveBias

While we were on vacation in California this summer, I had the most amazing barbecue chicken! It was moist, tender & made in just five minutes. Intrigued? So was I! Today I am going to be letting you in on a little secret that has transformed our busy nights. So, you too can have effortless meals in a crunch!

I think it's safe to say, regardless of what stage of life you are in, most parents strive to have a warm meal for their family at dinner-time. And I know that can be hard to do as your family's schedules fill up with back to school activities, sports & work. For us, our live's are about to permanently change with the arrival of our baby girl, just a few weeks after school begins. And lately I've noticed myself gravitating toward these simpler & effortless meals.

So, today I am sharing an easy 30 minute meal idea that you can enjoy with your family as you transition back to school. Plus you'll have lots of leftovers to make other yummy meals with{score}!

My secret starts with picking up a few Marketside essentials. On my last Walmart run, I picked up a Marketside fully cooked Rotisserie chicken, Macaroni salad, spring mix & Sprite for a quick & effortless meal. These are perfect for days when you have been running errands all day! Oh, and there Marketside pizzas are amazing too~ we love to grill these{they are a great fresh alternative}!

Are you ready for the simplest dinner ever?

The only thing that takes a long time in this meal is the wild rice, so I always make sure to get that going in the rice cooker before I start shredding the chicken.

Then I saute the chicken in a tablespoon of oil {over medium heat}. Next, I add the bbq sauce{we like this one} along with: 1/8 teaspoon Chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and mix for a few minutes.

Then, remove from heat & serve over rice.

This is one of those meals my kids actually enjoy eating, so we make it quite frequently.

Then just transfer your salads onto cute serving bowls & voila you have a delicious meal that looks like you've been working all day on! Don't worry, no one has to know it was only semi-homemade:)!

I topped the spring mix with some diced cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese & raspberry vinaigrette for a little extra flavor.

So what do you think? Would your family enjoy this meal?

The nice thing about this meal is that you can utilize your leftovers to make yummy lettuce wraps or wheat wraps with the following day. The hubby & I have been addicted to those as of late.